Not Just A Teen Issue: Manorexia And Elder Eating Disorders On The Rise

HuffPost Live

“I was in so much pain that I could barely stand up,” Matt Wetsel said, recalling one of the worst moments of his eating disorder. “By the time I got home, I realized that this wasn’t a thing that was just happening. I had a serious problem.”

Eating disorders are commonly associated with teen girls, but in reality this disease doesn't discriminate by gender or age. Research has shown that only 10 percent of men with eating disorders get help. And since these diseases are less commonly linked to men, many unknowingly encourage destructive behaviors.

“I started losing weight, and people close to me could tell what was wrong, or that something was wrong,” Matt shared. “But acquaintances, coworkers, they were complimenting my weight loss, because that’s what you do.”

In a HuffPost Live segment, host Janet Varney and Wetsel discuss eating disorders among men and older generations with Claire Glass, a blog editor at Story Studio, Dr. Kim Dennis, the CEO and Medical Director at Timberline Knolls Residential Treatment Center, and Laura Discipio, Executive Director of the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders.